The Bozeman weekly chronicle., 1887-03-09
THE ROCKY FORK ROAD,


Passed the House On Notion orNrlsOn.
Yesterday morning the glad news WAS
flashed from Washington TO expectsnt
walters inHelena that the bill granting to
the Rocky Fork & Cooke City railroad
company the right of way through he
Grow reservation had been passed by the
lower house of congress and only awaited
the presidents signature to become law
Later in the day Hon. samule Word one
of the promoters ofthe company, receiv-
ed notification that the bill had been
signed by the president and was law.
The bill granting similar right ofthe
Billings, Clarke's Fork & Cooke City
Railroad company failed to he enacted.
having been sidetJacked somewhere in
the course of its progress. The two COM
panies were antagonistic only TO the ex-
tent that both had the same objects in
view to certain extent and while both
would have done no harm and much
good, it seemed improbable that both
would be passed by the same session of
congress. So it become struggle as to
which should have the ascendancy, and
the Rocky Fork bill passed. Delegate
Toole was pleged to the support Of the
Billings road and, when the other
company came up with their bill,
endeavored to obtain compromise
between the two projects. In this he
failed. and the Rocky Fork bill, being
actively supported by several senators
and congressman, obtained first favor.
The Rocky Fork & Cooke City railway
company has for its incorporator J. L.
Plat and Hamilton Brown, of Iowa; J.
B. Hubbell, of St, Paul; and Samuel
Word and Walter Cooper, of Montana.
The capitalization is 100000, of which
$4,000, or the 10 per cent required by
law, has been paid into the treasury.
The original object of the company was
to build to the Rocky Fork coal fields
and it was SO capitalized but with the
encouragement now offered by the
COOKE CITY MINE OWNERS.
as to freight, it is highly probable that
the road will be extended right on tn
Cooke. The road is at present surveyed
to the coal fields and extends from Laurel
on the Northern Pacific up Clarke's Fork
to the mouth of Rocky Fork, thence up
that stream to the coal fields. The ex-
tension to Cooke will reach over to the
saltwater and up that stream to Lake
Abundance which is in the midst Of the
Cooke district and near the town itself.
This will make less than 90 miles ofroad
building from the Yellowstone to Cooke
giving considerable advantage in dis.
tance over the Billings road. The COM
pany will build to the coal fields this year
alfd may 60 right on with the grading to
Cooke. IT is understood thav they have
placed their bonds for twenty years at 8
per cent for their present capitalization
and will be able to obtain terms quite as
favorable if they want to increase their
capital to sum sufficient to enable them
to build on to Cooke. Work will be be-
gun as soon as the ground is in condition
to work, While the incorporation terms
of the company mentioned Laurel. some
fifteen miles west of Billings as the start
ing point of the road, sufficient encourage.
ment may be offered to induce the COM
pany to make Billings their eastern
terminal. The Northern Pacific IL under.
stood to favor the new enterprise on
account Of the coal supply for their. road
which it promises, and of which they are
in great need.
The Rocky Fork coal fields lie on the
public domain near the Crow reservation
along the stream of that name; about As
miles from Billings- An association Of
20 persons, acting in harmony with one
comprising the members Of the railroad
company, hold
| 300 ACRES OF THESE LANDS,
stretching one and one-quarter miles
along the creek. Their distance shows Is
to Is veins of coal. ranging nom 8 to 10
feet wide. This is a very hard and in
fiammable Ignite which has to be blasted
out opposition and breaks like anthracite.
The formation is described to be much
like that of the coal at Rock SPRING..
Wyoming, but it is better character Of
fuel and shows much less ash. A con-
siderable amount Of development has
been done on the syndicate ground and
the coal has repeatedly been give work
ing tests of the most satisfactory charac-
ter, The building fthe proposed road
will develop large town at Rocky Fork
as well as furnish Helena, Butte and
other points in Montana with cheap coal
1t may also be mentioned that Messrs,
Plat and Brown. the principal corpora'
tors of the road, are men who have made
large fortunes in coal mining in Iowa and
who enter this project with full know
ledge of the coal field and the situation
Observation-Disclosures.